Going into the 2021 offseason the Steelers organization knew it would be very tough to keep key players. The Steelers have lost Bud Dupree, Mike Hilton, Steven Nelson, Alejandro Villanueva, Matt Feiler, and David DeCastro. That is a ton of players for the Steelers to lose, but it could have been much worse if JuJu Smith-Schuster and Cam Sutton departed.
Regardless of the losses, the Steeler's expectations are still to win a Super Bowl in 2021. Ben Roethlisberger highlighted those expectations yesterday with the media by saying, "Everybody in the NFL has the same goal, and that’s to win a Super Bowl, It doesn’t matter if you come from another team, if you’ve been here for a long time, or if you’re a rookie. Everyone wants the same thing. It’s a matter of getting on the same page at the right time.”
Ben Roethlisberger recognizes the many changes on the Pittsburgh Steelers and one of the drastic changes is on his offensive line. The Steeler's offensive line finished near last place in regards to the run game. So they decided to revamp the entire offensive line and promote Adrian Klemm as their new offensive line coach.
Ben did acknowledged it was very hard to replace all of the guys they lost on the offensive line in 2021, but he recognizes they need to find guys who are willing and capable of filling those roles. Mike Tomlin expects the Steeler's new offensive line to pave the way for the Steelers running game in 2021. He said, “There’s an expectation that those guys are going to deliver, and I’m not going to be surprised when they do, As a matter of fact, we expect them to. You can write a rags-to-riches tale, like we’re starting in the basement, but we don’t see it that way.”
The Steelers ended up going 11-0 at one point in 2021 and they looked like they were one of the best teams in 2020. That was without a running game and a terrible offensive scheme. Now the Steelers will be walking into the 2021 season with a revamped offensive line, superstar running back in Najee Harris, and new offensive coaches.
Two of the biggest issues for the Steelers were addressed in 2021 and the Steelers are hoping their offensive line and offensive schematics will change for the better. If everything comes together perfectly the Steelers can achieve their expectations of winning a Super Bowl in 2021, but it is going to be a tough run with their current schedule. I must say the Steelers tend to play better when they're considered underdogs rather than favorites so all of the hate this offseason could be a blessing in disguise for the Steelers.
The expectations are set high in Pittsburgh this season because Ben Roethlisberger is heading into his final season or seasons with the organization. They have gone into win mode and are looking to add championship number seven in Pittsburgh before Ben Roethlisberger rides off into the sunset. Here We Go Yinz!